Reconciliation advocate to speak

Dr. Salim Munayer, a key figure in efforts to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, will be a guest speaker at Northwestern College Aug. 28 and 29.

Munayer, founder and director of Musalaha Ministry of Reconciliation in Jerusalem, will speak in Northwestern’s chapel on the challenge of reconciliation Aug. 29 at 10:05 a.m. Individuals are invited to join him for lunch in Vermeer South Dining Room that day at 11:45 a.m.; cost is $7.50. Munayer will also speak in a Political Ideologies course at 1 p.m. in North Suites Hall Room 14. The public is welcome to attend each event.

Born in Lod, Israel, to a Christian Palestinian family, Munayer has extensive experience teaching both Christians and Jews as well as training workers involved in ministry to Muslims. A professor of theology and former academic dean at Bethlehem Bible College, Munayer founded Musalah, which means forgiveness or reconciliation in Arabic, in 1990. The organization was begun as a bridge between Palestinian believers and Jewish believers, providing a safe environment for developing interpersonal relationships and healing, and now encompasses the broader Israeli and Palestinian communities.

Munayer has edited several books, including “The Land Cries Out: Theology of Reconciliation in the Israeli-Palestinian Context”; “Seeking and Pursuing Peace: The Process, the Pain and the Product”; and “In the Footsteps of Our Father Abraham.”

The recipient of a doctorate from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Munayer also earned a master’s degree in intercultural studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree from Tel Aviv University.

Munayer is appearing under the auspices of the Ronald R. Nelson Scholars and Artists in Residence Program, which seeks to inspire students with scholarship that encourages peace and justice. The program is named in honor of Ron Nelson, a history professor who taught at Northwestern from 1974 until his death in 1985.